A detailed Q&A with Hamid Rahmanian, the “visual DJ” who gathered together thousands of colorful manuscript illustrations and layered and arranged them for a sumptuous new English-language publication of the medieval Iranian epic.
Author: Matthew Westphal
2013 Gramophone Awards: Fewer Categories, Lots Of British Winners
“Seven out of the 11 are releases from British soloists, ensembles or conductors.” Interesting tidbit: the Early Music Award went to Paul McCreesh’s Gabrieli Consort and Players for a new remake of the program that won them the very same prize 23 years ago.
Think You’re Doing A Good Job? Not If the Algorithms Say You’re Not
The app-based temp agency Gigwalk “scrupulously gathers performance data on it each of its temps, with the goal of being able to better match them with future gigs. It tracks how long it takes a person to respond to a job alert on their app – too slow and you ding your rating. It tracks the GPS on a temp’s phone see how long they spend on a job and takes that into account in measuring his or her productivity.”
Defending The English Major (It’s Not Easy)
Adam Gopnik: “As the bromides roll by and the platitudes chase each other round the page, those in favor of ever more and better English majors feel a bit the way we Jets fans feel, every fall, when our offense trots out on the field: I’m cheering as loud as I can, but let’s be honest – this is not working well.”
Meet The Business And Tech Geniuses Behind FunnyOrDie.com
Yes, there are 50 creative types behind Will Ferrell in L.A. who keep the content coming. But it takes money guys and techies to build and maintain a site with 19 million unique monthly visitors and 62.5 million monthly video views. Here’s a Q&A with the three people who run FunnyOrDie’s Silicon Valley side.
Getting A Few Things Straight About Thomas Pynchon
“First of all, it’s pronounced ‘Pynch-ON.’ Second, the great and bewildering and, yes, very private novelist is not exactly a recluse.” Boris Kachka didn’t get to talk to Pynchon himself, but he has managed to put together a reasonable portrait of the man.
David Hockney’s Double-Sided (If Not Conflicted) Relationship With Technology
Part of his aesthetic is still, as Lawrence Weschler puts it, “adamantly hand-rendered”. Even so, Hockney has always had “an uncanny openness to technological innovation, the eager willingness to delve into any and all manner of new gadgetry.”
This 1,600-Year-Old Goblet Shows That The Romans Were Nanotech Pioneers
“The glass chalice, known as the Lycurgus Cup because it bears a scene involving King Lycurgus of Thrace, appears jade green when lit from the front but blood-red when lit from behind – a property that puzzled scientists for decades” until researchers with microscopes discovered the ingenious secret within the glass.
How 500 Years Of Weird Condiment History Led To Clear Glass Ketchup Bottles
When Europeans first found up about ke-chap, it was made from fish guts fermented in salt. After centuries of changes and adaptations of ingredients (walnut ketchup was Jane Austen’s favorite), the tomato made its way into the recipe. But that’s not why Henry J. Heinz decided that clear glass bottles were good for business.
Michigan’s Art Museums Hang In Despite State’s Woes
“The Detroit Institute of Arts is gathering most of the media attention paid to the state’s cultural sector these days … Michigan’s other art museums appear to have capably weathered the recession.”